Interview with Alyona here:
https://matchtv.ru/figure-skating/m..._Tutberidze_My_pogovorili_s_Alenoj_Kanyshevoj
My interpretation of “This is neither an advance nor luck, but a great honour - to train with Tutberidze”
"Alyona Kanysheva, bronze medalist of the 2018/19 Junior Grand Prix Final, introduced her new short program at the Junior Test Skates. After the performance, the skater answered questions from journalists:
Q: Alyona, you looked almost the most adult of all the skaters. How do you feel, are you already demonstrating real women's skating?
A: I advanced in comparison with last year, but so far I can’t call my skating truly feminine. It comes with age. The older the girl, the more conscious and feminine she will be.
Q: A second season in the juniors gives you an advantage?
A: Of course. First of all, it gives a me a higher rating than some of the other participants. On the other hand, there is also Nastya Tarakanova and Vika Vasilyeva - they are skating for their third season in juniors. Their rating is even higher than mine. And it affects the distribution of starts."
Q: What did you manage to add over the year?
A: I began to treat my skating differently. Last season at the Test Skates I felt a great burden of responsibility, because in my first junior year it was important for me to immediately present myself well. Now it has become easier, on the one hand, on the other - a new group, a new coach, I want to present myself in a new way - even better than before.
Q: Just a month after the move to Khrustalniy you performed a 4T in training. Is it really possible to learn it in such a short time?
A: I started working on the quadruple Salchow with my last coach, and my Toeloop was always a good jump. When I came to Eteri Georgiyevna, they asked me to show the Axel, Toeloop and Salchow, and in the end we decided to start with the Toeloop, because it looked most like a quadruple.
Q: How was your transition to another group brought to you? Was there no feeling of pressure from the stars that would surround you on the ice?
A: The excitement was not due to the ones with whom I would skate, but from the one to which I came to be trained.
Q: You remember the first meeting with Tutberidze?
A: The very first thing that Eteri Georgiyevna asked me was “why did you leave?” (From Svetlana Panova). I answered her question, but I don’t want to elaborate on it now
In general, I was called to Khrustalniy a long time ago, at first I refused for a long time, later I realised that, probably, I was vain. (?)
Q: Is someone called to Khrustalniy? The public has such an idea that everyone just invites themselves there ...
A: It’s not that they invited me directly. They just said that Eteri Georgiyevna would be glad to see me in her group.
Q: How do you perceive your transition to Tutberidze's group - as a great success or an advance for the future?
A: I will say this: 'This is neither advance nor luck, but a great honour to work with such a trainer'
Q: What has changed in the training process compared to how it was before?
A: The atmosphere in training has changed. In this group, competition is higher. You look at the rest of the guys and think, “why can't I do the same?” First take it doesn’t work, second time doesn’t work, and on the third you get it and do it. And so everyone takes turns progressing.
Q: What about the quadruple Toeloop in the free program this season?
A: Things with the 4T are going well, but we decided not to add it to the program yet. There was an injury, I could not jump for some time and train it stably.
We decided that it would be better to skate cleanly with triples than with an error on a quad and uncertainty after the fall.
Q: What kind of injury was it, if not a secret?
A: Never mind/not important.
Q: You don't worry you cannot compete with the others without a quad?
A: I understand the severity of competition, but there were also examples where Alyona Kostornaya skated cleanly with triples in the Grand Prix Finals, and Sasha Trusova fell on her quad, so Alyona won. You can go clean with only triple jumps, or you can go quadruple jumps and make mistakes.
Q: What is the main task for this season?
A: To become the best in juniors so I can take something with me into seniors.
Q: Who do you consider the most serious rival?
A: I will compete with myself. All the girls are very strong, but when you go to the start, you should think only about yourself and compete with yourself. The rest will be decided by the judges.
Q: How did you get into figure skating?
A: First, my parents just brought me to the rink. And I started asking them every day: "Can we go again, can we go again?" In addition, my sister practiced ballet on ice (ice dance?). So they sent me to a group where everything quickly started to turn out well and I really liked it. Starting from a "flashlight" and a "goat" (a step and a kind of bounce in figure skating) and ending with quadruple jumps (laughs).
Q: At what point did competitive excitement appear?
A: From the very beginning. I love competition!
Q: Who are you inspired by from adult figure skaters?
A: First it was Julia Lipnitskaya, Adelina Sotnikova. Now it is Alina (Zagitova), Zhenya (Medvyedeva). I like them all equal, I have no idol.
Q: There remains time for study?
A: I am an excellent student. (smiles)
Q: How do you do manage?
A: Sometimes teachers and me arrange to meet and stay for additional classes. I mainly deal with tutors. I study in a regular school, not at Sambo. As long as I can manage, I do not plan to change schools.
Q: So, education is important for you as well?
A: Yes. By principle, my parents had this condition: if I started to study poorly, I must quit figure skating (smiles).
Q: Do your parents prepare you in a special way before competition?
A: 'They say they love me, regardless of my successes.' I just need to go and do everything I can.
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Slightly different from the other transcriptions of the same interview.
My guess is the silent invitation was given at JGPF finals, and Alyona was at first both loyal to Panova and apprehensive, even fearful of Tutberidze.
But being the bright and competitive person she is, overcame her fear and has never looked back since.
